Volumetric wear of various orthotic appliance materials

The purpose of this study was to compare the resistance to wear of six commonly used orthotic appliance materials. These materials were: SR Ivocap (Ivoclar Vivadent, Inc., Amherst, NY), Eclipse (Dentsply International, York, PA), ProBase (Ivoclar Vivadent), Valplast (Valplast International Corp., Oceanside, NY), Impak (CMP Industries LLC, Albany, NY), and Clearsplint (Astron Dental Corp., Lake Zurich, IL). Twelve cylindrical specimens of each material were fabricated per manufacturer instructions. Occlusal wear was simulated in a custom-made wear simulator with each specimen receiving four wear scars in a two-body wear simulation using a 1.5 mm tungsten-carbide tipped stylus at 40 newtons for 2500 cycles at 1 Hz, while immersed in 37 degrees C distilled water (n = 48). The specimens were evaluated before and after wear testing using a three-dimensional (3D) noncontact profilometer (Proscan 2000, Scantron Corp., Eagan, MN). A mean change in volume was determined for each orthotic material. Results found that Clearsplint material displayed the greatest amount of volume loss/wear, while SR Ivocap, Eclipse, and ProBase materials had the least amount of wear. Valplast and Impak performed more moderately. Based upon this wear knowledge, practitioners are able to more reliably choose the appliance material necessary for their various patients.